After Chandigarh, blast outside nightclubs in Gurugram, 1 held

Days after blasts at singer Badshah’s bar in Chandigarh, a low-intensity explosion was reported outside two nightclubs in Sector 29 here in the early hours of Tuesday. The explosion is believed to be the handiwork of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar’s gang, said a senior intelligence officer on the condition of anonymity.

The police arrested a person, identified as Sachin, who allegedly hurled two ‘sutli’ bombs at the nightclubs. Sachin (30), a resident of Meerut, was arrested on the spot when he was about to hurl another bomb. He was reportedly given the contract by the gang to carry out the blast.

There were no casualties in the explosion, although a scooter and a club signboard were damaged. A spokesperson for the Gurugram police said the accused was being interrogated by the Crime Branch and STF team. No other accused has been arrested so far, he added. Sources, however, claimed his interrogation led to detention of another accused.

A countrymade weapon and two crude bombs were recovered from his possession.

According to the intelligence officer, one of the clubs in the area had recently got a threat from the gang. “The police and the Special Task Force (STF), Haryana, were on alert and had teams manning the area since the Chandigarh incident. They nabbed the accused on the spot,” he said.

The explosion at Human Pub and Toy Box Club took place around 5:15 am. While one bomb exploded, the other hit the pub signboard and fell outside. The accused was caught in the process of throwing another one.

Gurugram Police Commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora, who reached the spot, directed the bomb disposal team to defuse the two crude bombs recovered from the accused.

Police sources said Lawrence Bishnoi gang had called club operators via WhatsApp about 13 days ago demanding crores in extortion and a stake of up to 30 per cent in the business. After the club operators approached the police, cops were deployed in the Sector-29 market.

A senior STF official on the condition of anonymity said: “Following intelligence inputs that Brar and Bishnoi gangs would target Gurugram, we had been keeping a strict vigil. The clubs were alerted as well. We suspect the involvement of more accused and teams are out to nab them.”

The intelligence officer said the choice of ‘sutli’ bombs as explosive showed the motive was to only create a scare. After today’s incident, the fear has gripped club owners in Sector 29. “Every other day somebody calls us posing as a member of Bishnoi, Kaushal, or Brar gang and seek money. Though most calls are hoax, today’s explosion has scared us,” said one of the club owners in Sector 29.